Page 153 of Tsumiko and the Enslaved Fox
“Do not think it of me!” Lapis’ hands flew through six forms of what must have been urgent denial. Still, he hesitated. “If your lady permits, I would approach with the utmost respect for the life she ….” Here, Lapis swallowed hard and weakly finished, “She tends.”
“Oh,” she breathed, finally seeing past the worries that had blinded her. “Please come over here, Spokesperson Mossberne. I havesomany questions about dragons.”
He moved so fast, his chair clattered to the floor. But he stopped short, dropping to his knees and creeping forward like a beggar before royalty.
Gingko frowned and slid from the couch, crawling to meet him partway. Brazenly poking Lapis’ cheek, he asked, “What’s with this face? Are you getting all moony over Tsumiko again?”
Hisoka casually remarked, “Moonyis a very wolvish term. A dragon’s awe is reserved for the wind.”
“That works. You’re shaking like a leaf in a gale.” Gingko tapped one of Lapis’ bracelets. “What’s the deal? Are your wards out of whack?”
“Forgive my eagerness.” Lapis sat back on his heels, gaze averted. “My heart has been in disarray since I learned of this child’s existence.”
Ginko’s ears flattened and flicked forward again. “Because there’s a rogue dragon destroying your clans’ reputation?”
“Far from it. Although I can understand a little of what drives him.”
“You …understand?” Anger lent a growl to Gingko’s voice. “He’s a serial killer, a kidnapper, and a rapist. Which part of that has your sympathies?”
“I can understand his frustration,” he corrected. “My caste is celibate. I cannot take a bondmate since our females belong to the harems of the lords. While I understand my place, it does not stop the stirrings.”
“You mean you want the chance at a family?” whispered Gingko.
Lapis simply nodded.
“Even if it means your kids would be crossers.”
Again, a solemn nod. Lapis gently placed his hands on either side of the half-fox’s face, giving him a wistful smile. “You represent hope, Gingko. And your brother is a glimpse of a possible future.”
Tsumiko’s heart went out to the dragon. On the face of things, Lapis Mossberne was the most powerful dragon in the world. But in many ways, he was helpless against the traditions that ruled his clan. She touched Argent’s arm.
Kissing her temple, he took Kyrie and murmured, “Remain here.”
She nodded, since the dragon obviously had issues where reavers were concerned.
Argent joined Gingko on the floor, and Lapis soon had his arms full. Kyrie reached for his new minder with an insistent squeak. Breaking into a misty smile, Lapis answered with a fluttering croon, which the baby struggled to duplicate. Soon, they were equally rapt, sharing a tuneful exchange that was probably the equivalent of dragonish baby talk.
Only then did Tsumiko notice that Hisoka had moved much closer. The better to watch Lapis’ expression. The cat murmured, “Thank you for your indulgence, Miss Hajime.”
“I’m glad you intervened on his behalf.”
“Hnn. He is shockingly shy about personal matters.”
Tsumiko ventured, “He’s not allowed to have a wife?”
Hisoka lowered himself to the arm of the sofa. “For dragons, there are two ways of life—the harem or the heights. Children are born to the former, and the latter are filled with celibate males of middling to meager strength. Only one in four becomes a father.”
Realizing that Lapis was listening in, Tsumiko addressed him directly. “The newspapers call you a dragon lord.”
“An honorary designation, I assure you. True lords are not sent into the heights. And they have too many cares at home to mingle with humans. I was deemed the most likely to cooperate with reavers given my past, ah … shall we sayexcesses.”
“Lapis, you were the only sensible choice,” chided Hisoka.
“The most respectable of the expendables,” he countered.
As Harmonious weighed in with increasingly flamboyant compliments, the dragon spokesman lost any lingering mystique. And Tsumiko found herself short a few more fears. It was as if Hisoka-sensei knew exactly what had been bothering her, and he wasn’t willing towaitfor her trust. Nothing so passive. He was in pursuit—systematically, aggressively, yet politely.
“Miss Hajime?”
